Paper, Plastic or Propaganda? European Supermarkets to Broadcast Xinhua Reports

Earlier this month, we reported how Xinhua is breaking into Chinese TV news via the popular social networking site kaixin001.com.

Now, the official state news agency is taking its first steps to take its TV news programming global with an even more unusual method: By broadcasting in European supermarkets. According to reports from Chinese- and English-language media, Xinhua is partnering with about a dozen broadcast organizations in Europe to show daily English-language news reports on screens inside supermarkets and outside Chinese embassies.

The 90-minute programs, slated to start showing Wednesday, will include 10-to-15 minute news reports as well as features and lifestyle segments, all recorded at Xinhua’s Beijing studios, according to the AP. Apart from a vague reference to the city of Brussels, no further details have been provided about which broadcasting companies and supermarkets are involved, and Xinhua didn't respond the Journal’s questions on the matter.

“It's still unclear exactly how many countries and outlets will carry our English news, but we hope to expand these channels greatly with more broadcast partners by the end of the year," Xinhua spokesman Chen Yue told the AP.

The state media has been part of a recent 45 billion yuan ($6.6 billion) effort to expand China's influence at home and abroad. This global push has already seen the launch of an English edition of the Global Times (a Communist Party paper), an expansion of the official People’s Daily's operations and plans for state broadcaster CCTV to compete with the likes of CNN, BBC and Al Jazeera.

Xinhua’s latest effort appears to be part of the wider plan. "China has recognized the importance of soft power, and through the medium of television and the Internet the Chinese government aims to strengthen its influence internationally," Chen said, according to the AP.

But even though European shoppers may be able to find China’s soft power next to soft tissues in aisle six, China’s state media organizations remain challenged by the widespread perception overseas that they are promoting Beijing’s agenda. That's remained the case even when they push the envelope by reporting in English on topics that would be too sensitive for coverage in their Chinese-language editions, such as the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
--Sky Canaves